Life Through Transitions | Helping you navigate life's biggest changes

How do you live in a risky world?  How do you live in a world where “normal” is a state of constant flux? It seems that every day - either in our personal or professional lives, our country or somewhere on the planet - disruptive change is happening.  Even if it’s not directly happening to us - like with a war or natural disaster - we experience it at some level just by reading the news.  And doesn’t it seem like in the last few years the rate of change is speeding up and felt in every facet of life?  Most systems, institutions, societal structures, and governments feel a bit shaky (or a lot!).  No wonder most of us feel uncertain as we look to the future.  In this episode, we explore how to embrace major life change in search of a story worth living and risking for. 

During this episode, Matt mentions the artist and climber, Jeremy Collins who did an animated short called “The Beast.”  You can find the full version on Vimeo here: https://vimeo.com/131834761

Looking for more about this podcast and Liminal Space?  Click here.

David Emerald is the author of The Power of Ted* (*The Empowerment Dynamic) and the co-founder of the Bainbridge Leadership Center. David is the creator of The Power of Ted* frameworks that are used around the world to facilitate teamwork and productivity. David works in close collaboration with his wife and business partner, Donna Zajonc, MCC and together they have developed the 3 Vital Questions™ frameworks and eLearning Course: 3 Vital Questions: Applying The Power of TED* to Life and Work. He is passionate about helping teams learn to shift out of drama and focus on outcomes they are excited about. David uplifts, enlightens and inspires individuals and groups to reach new levels of collaboration through empowering relationships.  In this episode we will explore the ideas of moving from the role of Victim to Creator.

Peggy Farah, LMHC is a Licensed Psychotherapist, Mindfulness Instructor and Workshop facilitator, and The Founder of The Deeper Cravings Path™ (food and body recovery curriculum) and Release™ (women’s art and meditation retreats). Peggy has a Masters in Psychotherapy and Spirituality and has worked in the field of mental health and emotional health for over 20 years. In the early part of her career she supported children and youth through critical illness, grief and loss, then went on to work in various senior management roles in nonprofit organizations and has now been in private practice for the past 6 years providing psychotherapy to individuals and couples. Peggy is passionate about helping others awaken to their lives through mindfulness and nourishing what they are truly hungry for

Michael O’Brien is a sales and marketing executive business coach who helps leaders understand their internal feelings of worry and doubt so they can achieve success for themselves and their teams. Before starting his executive coaching firm, Peloton Coaching and Consulting, Michael spent over two decades in the pharmaceutical and bio industry in roles that ranged from sales to marketing to executive leadership.

Before launching into his coaching career, Michael experienced a life-altering event that ruptured his worldview. On July 11th, 2001, he was struck head-on by a speeding SUV while out on a training bike ride. Now, Michael considers shares his journey from being a human doer to a human being in his bestselling memoir, Shift: Creating Better Tomorrows.  All the proceeds from the book go to the World Bicycle Relief

It all started for Jenny when her husband said one evening that he’d been feeling a bit dizzy. No big deal, right? Call the doctor, get to the bottom of it…boom…fixed!? Not quite. A simple trip to internal medicine and an MRI turned into brain surgery two days later, followed by a diagnosis of brain cancer (glioblastoma … same type as John McCain, Beau Biden, Teddy Kennedy).  And then 8 months of cancer & caregiving, and then he was gone. She set out to write the book that she wanted so desperately to find when she first became a widowed parent at the age of 43.  She wanted to know what to expect. Kind of like that book “What To Expect When You’re Expecting.” But more like “what to expect when the other parent dies.” She had been kicking  the idea of a podcast around for over two years, trying to figure out what approach would make sense.-because she’s not a therapist or a grief counselor. Jenny Lisk is the host of a podcast called The Widowed Parent.  Her shows offers advice and her story as a fellow widowed parent on a mission … a mission to help her kids to somehow thrive in spite of their terrible loss.

Brian Jaeger’s mission is supporting the dignity of good work. He brings a legacy of entrepreneurialism, career development, and transformation-centered work to his company, InsideWorks. His career highlights include business partnerships, I.T. leadership training, teaching, championing business incubators and influencing over 500 startup businesses.  Launched in 2012, InsideWorks was awarded the 2016 Washington State Small Firm of the Year award for achievement championing people living with a disability to become self-employed. Since 2016 he has been researching and scratching out content for a book with a working title: What’s Your Retirementality? A Guide for Individuals and Companies. He supports individuals by helping them thrive in the next chapter of their life, and works with companies who do not want to lose their brain trust when employees break away. Brian is fanatical about motivating individuals to thrive through work that matters. During this week’s episode, Brian talks about the importance of finding your origin story as as you approach retirement.

Curtis Romjue serves as President of First Aid Arts. He was raised in the Hawaiian islands and the Pacific Northwest. In 2003, he graduated Summa Cum Laude from Seattle Pacific University where he studied Latin American Studies and Philosophy. He traveled extensively during college and learned about modern slavery. He developed the philosophy "Do what you love to fight what you hate" and formed JUBILEE in 2004 as the first 501(c)(3) nonprofit rock band in the United States using music to combat human trafficking. Curtis has worked closely with International Justice Mission since 2003 and developed First Aid Arts in response to the needs of IJM social workers serving survivors of sex trafficking and slave labor. In this episode, Curtis shares about his calling in the world and how he pieced together the clues to find it.

Corey Blake began his storytelling career as an actor, starring in one of the 50 greatest Superbowl commercials of all time (Mountain Dew, Bohemian Rhapsody) and in campaigns for American Express, Miller Beer, Mitsubishi, Wrigley's Gum, Hasbro, and other name brands. Today, Corey is the founder and CEO of Round Table Companies (RTC), the publisher of Conscious Capitalism Press, and a speaker, artist, and storyteller. He has been featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal and his work in storytelling has been quoted/featured in the New York Times, USA Today, and Inc., Forbes, and Wired Magazines. Corey pioneered the business comic book, packaging and publishing dozens of titles—including best sellers by Tony Hsieh, Marshall Goldsmith, and Robert Cialdini, and has spent over a decade guiding CEOs, founders, and thought leaders to set up a storytelling ecosystem around their brand, including writing the book they were born to write. His work has yielded 15 Independent Publisher Awards, a Belding, a Bronze Lion, and a London International Advertising Award. His articles have been published in Writer Magazine, and on FastCompany, Forbes.com and The Huffington Post. He is also the creator of the Vulnerability Wall—whose clients include Microsoft, ADP, Marketo, and Workday—and the Vulnerability is SexyTM card game. His documentary of the same name won 2017 ADDY and HERMES awards for branded content. Corey travels around the country delivering keynotes and facilitating storytelling workshops for organizations of all sizes.  In this episode, Corey shares from two early career transitions that helped him reframe some personal beliefs and eventually helped him go from victim to creative agent.

Heather Abbott is a speaker, therapist, storyteller, gardener, beloved wife, and mother of three busy daughters.  In the fall of 2017 she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and spent the next 9 months in full time treatment.  She is now cancer-free and spending her time with her kids, writing her books, and speaking about the power of hope in dark places. Join us this week as Heather takes us on her journey of finding out she had cancer, being a mother and being a cancer survivor.

Jessie is an adventurous, spirited, silly person whose path was traumatically interrupted in 2012 when a tree fell on her family car while on a family vacation. As a result, she lost both of her parents and became a quadriplegic at the C-3, C-4 level. After the accident, Jessie began the long journey to figure out how to do life and where she fit in again. For the first two years she focused solely on her body and regaining as much function as she could. But Jessie wanted more than simply being alive; she wanted to be more than just a broken vessel in constant need of maintenance.  She wanted a life, and set out to create one.